Crowd Rallies Outside as Supreme Court Debates Gay Marriage

WASHINGTON—Inside the Supreme Court, the lawyers and justices were debating gay marriage. Outside, in louder voices, a large crowd was doing the same.

The case regarding California's Proposition 8 has been more than four years in the making, and many in the crowd had waited a long time for the chance to express their views outside the nation's highest court.

Scenes From Outside

See photos from the scene outside the Supreme Court

Getty Images

Video

As the Supreme Court hears arguments on California's Proposition 8 and the federal Defense of Marriage Act, crowds of both supporters and opponents of gay marriage gathered at the Supreme Court. WSJ's Neil Hickey reports via #WorldStream.

The crowd was tightly packed and lively, quickly gaining energy as the sun warmed the chilly morning air and a string of speakers delivered passionate speeches. Most participants carried signs, chanted slogans and wore stickers that made it easy to distinguish supporters from opponents of gay marriage.

The event was mostly peaceful, although one heated exchange broke out shortly after oral arguments began.

A parade of people opposed to gay marriage moved in a line through First Street in front of the court—some shouting "one man, one woman"—prompting supporters to try to drown them out. One man approached the opponents, accused them of being "bigots" and told them to "own their hate."

Heidi and Ferde Rombola traveled from Beverly, Mass., arriving on a bus that left at 10 p.m. the previous night. Ms. Rombola said she stood against gay marriage because she said the Bible identifies marriage as an institution reserved for men and women.

"If these people wish to get together in a partnership, they should be allowed to do that," Ms. Rombola said. "But we shouldn't call it marriage."

The Rev. Steve Clunn, a minister with the United Methodist Church, said the Bible preaches "love and inclusion." Wearing a multicolored stole that evoked the rainbow images symbolic of gay rights, Mr. Clunn said he changed his views on same-sex marriage after meeting gay and lesbian pastors.

"The more I listened to others and looked at what I was believing about the Bible and what the church should be doing, the more I realized I was wrong," he said.

Hundreds if not thousands had gathered around the Supreme Court, with advocates of same-sex marriage outnumbering opponents. Police officers and security guards prevented people from moving up the stairs of the court and maintained orderly street crossings.

Colin Gillens of New York City was one of several people who had traveled hundreds of miles to view the court proceedings firsthand. After waiting in line starting at 1 a.m. Tuesday, Mr. Gillens received a yellow ticket that allowed him to make a quick trip through the court and attend oral arguments for three minutes.

"What I'm really interested in hearing is what sort of questions the justices have, so you can really get an idea which way they tend to be leaning," Mr. Gillens said.

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com.